Canada Targets Russian Media Outlets and Info Watchdog Roskomnadzor With New Sanctions

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Canada unveiled on Friday a new batch of sanctions against Russia, targeting media watchdog Roskomnadzor and its executives, major news outlets and channels including Sputnik, RT, the TASS news agency.

"To counter the Kremlin’s disinformation campaign, Canada is imposing sanctions against 29 state-sponsored disinformation and propaganda agents and 15 entities controlled or owned by the Russian government and involved in disinformation efforts. This includes Sumbatovich Gasparyan, the Head of the International Department at Russia Today (RT) state media holding, with considerable influence in Russia," the statement said.

The sanctions list also includes Channel One, NTV, VGTRK, Gazprom Media, Regnum news agency and news anchor Ekaterina Andreeva.

Apart from Russian media and authorities, the newly-updated sanction list also includes the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill.

Ottawa also banned the imports of certain types of gold goods from Russia in an effort to escalate financial pressure on the country over its special operation in Ukraine, according to a Global Affairs Canada release.

"The Government of Canada has banned the import of certain gold goods from Russia, shutting these products out of formal international markets and further limiting Russia’s ability to raise funds to wage war," the release stated. The ban includes six types of goods, ranging from nonmonetary powdered and non-powdered gold to parts and articles of jewelry.

The sanctions list also includes former Yandex CEO Tigran Khudaverdyan, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk, humanitarian cooperation agency Rossotrudnichestvo and dozens of media personalities.